FEELING A DRAFT: Notre Dame and Boston College both had four players selected in the 1997 National Hockey League draft, most by any Division I school. The drafted players included current junior forwards Ben Simon (5th round, Chicago Blackhawks) and Joe Dusbabek (7th round, San Jose Sharks)-who are pictured at right with Irish head coach Dave Poulin at draft day festivities-plus current sophomores Jay Kopischke (8th round, Los Angeles Kings) and Ryan Clark (9th round, New York Islanders). Four Notre Dame players have been selected in the first nine rounds of the same NHL draft just once previously, in 1975.

SUPER SIX: The 1998-99 Notre Dame hockey team includes six players that have been selected in the National Hockey League draft, with five of those players skating on the forward line. In addition to the above four players, Notre Dame's drafted players include senior right wing Brian Urick (5th round, 1996, Edmonton Oilers) and senior left wing Aniket Dhadphale (10th round, 1994, San Jose Sharks). Just one other team in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association-Michigan (11)-has more than three NHL draft picks on its current squad.

TAKING IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL: Three members of the 1997-98 Notre Dame hockey team-including graduates Steve Noble and Matt Eisler-currently are pursuing their professional careers. Noble signed with the St. Louis Blues and was assigned to the Utah Grizzlies of the International Hockey League. Eisler inked a free agent contact with the Calgary Flames and has begun his career in the American Hockey League as a member of the Saint John (New Brunswick) Flames. Defenseman Mark Eaton opted to forego his final three years of college eligibility and signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. He was scheduled to begin his career with the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League.

YOUNG GUNS GET TARGET PRACTICE: Notre Dame ranked among the nation's youngest teams during the past two seasons, but many of the players that comprised those young rosters are now among the program's seasoned veterans, as 22 letterwinners return to the fold in 1998-99. The 1996-97 Notre Dame hockey team was the second-youngest in Division I, with an average age of 19 years and 11 months on Nov. 1, 1996, while the 1997-98 team's average age of 20 years and eight months was tied for third-youngest in the nation. More than half (17) of the players on Notre Dame's current 27-man roster began their careers with the Irish immediately following graduation from high school, with six joining the Notre Dame program after one year of junior hockey and only four spending two years in junior hockey before joining the Irish. Current sophomores Dan Carlson and Chad Chipchase were among the 21 youngest players in the CCHA for 1997-98 while current junior Ben Simon was the league's third-youngest player in '96-'97. The '98-'99 Irish roster includes just eight players who will be 22 years or older on Nov. 1, 1998: Craig Hagkull (24 years), Benoit Cotnoir (23, 3), Andy Jurkowski (23, 1), John Dwyer (23), Forrest Karr (22, 10), Aniket Dhadphale (22, 7), Sean Seyferth (22, 6) and Scott Giuliani (22, 5). A total of seven Irish players will be 18 or 19 years old on Nov. 1, 1998.

FROM ALL CORNERS: The 1998-99 Notre Dame hockey team features players from eight states and three provinces, including two players-Nathan Borega (Wasilla, Alaska) and Tyson Fraser (Surrey, B.C.)-who made the journey to Notre Dame from the west coast. The program's 10 Minnesota natives will not have the chance to play in their home state during the '98-'99 regular season, although the Irish played at Mankato State in '96-'97 and at the University of Minnesota's Mariucci Classic in '97-'98. Wisconsin natives Forrest Karr and Andy Jurkowski will have the chance to play in their home state for the second straight season, when the Irish play at the University of Wisconsin on Oct. 3. Ann Arbor, Mich. native Sean Seyferth again will make the familiar trip to the University of Michigan while Marquette, Mich. native Aniket Dhadphale last season welcomed the addition of his hometown school, Northern Michigan, to the CCHA. Borega returned to his home state last season, during the three-game series at Alaska-Fairbanks, while Ohio native Ben Simon (Shaker Heights) will play near his hometown this season in the Jan. 8 and Feb. 20 games at Bowling Green.

BORN IN THE USA: Several Notre Dame players have been involved with the USA Hockey program during recent years, including junior center Ben Simon (above), a member of the 22-player United States junior national team for the past two seasons. Simon helped the USA capture the silver medal at the 1996-97 World Junior Championship and was joined by Notre Dame classmate Joe Dusbabek on the 1997-98 USA squad that placed fifth at the World Juniors. Two members of the current Irish squad-sophomore left wing Dan Carlson and freshman center Brett Henning- were among 44 invitees to the USA evaluation camp in August of 1998 and remain under consideration for the 1998-99 junior national squad. Henning spent the 1997-98 academic year as a member of the USA under-18 national team.

Academics Job One

In addition to serving as one of the top upcoming programs in the nation, the Notre Dame hockey team also has excelled in the classroom.

The hockey team posted a 3.1 team grade-point-average in the spring of 1998 semester while the program held a 2.9 cumulative team GPA at the end of the 1998 spring semester.

A total of nine players on the 1997-98 team posted at least one Dean's List semester (3.4 grade-point-average or higher), including six who made the Dean's List in both the fall of '97 and the spring of '98. The three returning players who turned in two Dean's List semesters in '96-'97 are: seniors Aniket Dhadphale and Forrest Karr, and junior Andy Jurkowski. Three other players-senior Scott Giuliani (fall '97) and sophomores Dan Carlson and Kyle Kolquist (spring '98)-were named to the Dean's List in one semester during 1997-98.

Notre Dame hockey players have combined to post nine perfect 4.0 semesters during the past four years, including five by 1998 graduate Steve Noble, one each by current senior Forrest Karr and junior Andy Jurkowski, and two by former player Ryan Engle.

Steve Noble graduated in the spring of '98 with a 3.956 cumulative GPA as a finance major, ranking second in the College of Business Administration. Noble was a second team GTE Academic All-American for men's fall and winter at-large sports in 1996-97 before earning first team honors in 1997-98. He also was first runner-up for the 1998 national Hockey Humanitarian Award and as a junior received the CCHA's prestigious Terry Flanagan Award. Noble turned in five perfect 4.0 semesters while totaling 34 A's, three A-'s and one B+ during his four-year career.